Section 1: The Ass End

Dana
“As We Lay” 1997, #59 (11 weeks) (download)

An R&B tune or a dance song? That’s the question of the moment for Dana and “As We Lay.” I don’t know why Dana Harris thought she could get away with just going with the one name moniker especially when it’s so damn generic but she got her one taste of quick fame in doing so. Released on Tony Mercedes records, this has such a basic beat that it’s hard to put this anywhere above the mediocrity line but Dana did have a decent voice. Now I’ll leave it up to Nasty G to inform me if she’s done anything since this point.

D’Angelo
“Cruisin’” 1995, #53 (18 weeks) (download)
“Me and Those Dreamin’ Eyes of Mine” 1996, #74 (6 weeks) (download)
“Left & Right” 1999 #79 (5 weeks) (download)

Looking back, I see that I totally took the wrong approach to scoring while I was in college. I listened to the Breeders and Sheryl Crow to get that kind of woman, which I now realize wasn’t my type at all. What I should have been listening to was D’Angelo. I suppose I thought that the girl would just be dreaming about running their hands down that six pack of his and wouldn’t like me. But face it, D’Angelo had everything that made women swoon. And now that I’m married and can look with a critical eye, he might be one of the best R&B artists ever. Why he didn’t have a bigger career is a mystery to me.

Danger Danger
“Bang Bang” 1990, #49 (13 weeks) (download)

On the other hand, it’s quite obvious why Danger Danger didn’t have a bigger career. Not jumping onto the hair metal bandwagon until 1989 really didn’t help them. But being lame was really the major reason. I don’t know that I ever heard “Bang Bang” on the airwaves, rather the title track, “Danger Danger.” Suck suck.

Danzig
“Mother” 1994, #43 (15 weeks) (download)

Of all the songs so far that I’ve wondered how in the world they didn’t chart higher, this might be the first one that I’m truly surprised charted at all. I’m a huge Danzig fan, but even I wonder what radio stations played this to get it all the way to #43. Even the video wasn’t anything too special, so maybe Glenn Danzig gave the devil another part of his soul for this one.

Interestingly enough, most people refer to the version they see as track #7 on Thrall: Demonsweatlive as the charting version. But that was a live cut that was the B-Side to the single, which was a hidden track numbered 93 on the disc. But the hidden track was only put on the disc starting with the fourth pressing, so anyone with an early copy of it, doesn’t have the version that was popular.

Terence Trent D’Arby
“Delicate” 1993, #74 (8 weeks) (download)

Terence Trent D’Arby’s 3rd record (Symphony or Damn) has to be one of the most underrated records of the decade. Critics loved it but D’Arby only had one charting single from it and has somewhat faded into oblivion. “Delicate” featuring Des’ree was the centerpiece to a record that featured a lot of rock and soulful tunes which some compared to what Prince did with Sign O’ the Times. Keeping in line with the Prince comparison, he changed his name in 2001 to Sananda Maitreya in an attempt to break free from the record industry that held him back. I don’t believe he wrote “slave” on his face though. Prince 1, D’Arby 0.

Das EFX
“Freakit” 1993, #43 (12 weeks) (download)
“Real Hip-Hop” 1995, #61 (10 weeks) (download)
“Microphone Master” 1996, #86 (3 weeks) (download)

Most fans of rap in the ‘90s know the tunes off Das EFX’s debut, Dead Serious. “Mic Checka” and especially “They Want EFX” as well as guesting on “Check Yo Self” by Ice Cube was what put them on the map. Each consecutive album after that point sold less copies and got less critical acclaim. A song like “Microphone Master” tells you all you need to know about their fall from grace. Das EFX’s rhymes were spit at a furious pace with lots of gibberish and words that end in “-iggity” and while there’s a few “riggedy rock’s” in the tune, the style was scaled back and thus they sound very much like any other rap group at that point.

Davina
“So Good” 1997, #60 (19 weeks) (download)
“Come Over To My Place” 1998, #81 (9 weeks) (download)

Before I hit play on “So Good” the name Davina really didn’t ring a bell but I ended up knowing both songs anyway. Both come from her one and only record, Best of Both Worlds. “So Good” had a little more staying power since it was used as the theme song to the Laurence Fishburne movie Hoodlum. The beat on the tune sounds a lot like the trip-hop sounds from the first Portishead album.

Tami Davis
“How Do I Say I’m Sorry” 1998, #63 (14 weeks) (download)
“Only You” 1998, #93 (1 week) (download)

Tami Davis was just another generic R&B artist trying to capture the success of Toni Braxton with her sensual smokey voice. This was as close as she came.

Taylor Dayne
“Send Me A Lover” 1993, #50 (14 weeks) (download)

Taylor Dayne essentially had a monstrous three year run from 1988-1990 with seven top ten hits including 1990’s “Love Will Lead You Back” which spent a week at the top of the charts and one other track in the top 20. By 1993’s Soul Dancing, her sound had already faded out and her record sales dipped. After that record she was released by Arista, took five years to release another record and then ten years until she released her 5th album (Satisfied) which has a close up of her face looking scary and plastic on the cover. Whoa now.

Da Youngsta’s
“Hip Hop Ride” 1994, #68 (9 weeks) (download)

Name check a bunch of rap artists and you have enough to get you a hit and maybe a chance to ride on their coattails for a minute or two. It doesn’t matter if you can’t actually write any lyrics and your flow is below average or anything. And shit, I loved this song back in the day. What the hell was I thinking?

Daze
“Superhero” 1998, #88 (3 weeks) (download)

Eurodance!!!!!

Sing it with me, “Hmmm Bop a a-ya a-ya, hmmm bop a-o!” It seems like the letter C and D has brought with it quite a few songs I’d never heard before. This is one of them and while I do kind of like it, I don’t remotely get the chant thing they are doing there.

Chico DeBarge
“Give You Want You Want (Fa Sure)” 1999, #71 (13 weeks) (download)

Although never a member of DeBarge the group, I will always have a soft spot for Chico and the rest of the family. Both him and his brother El, have made some shitty choices in their personal life but have spent the time in jail and reformed themselves. “Give You What You Want” was off his second post-incarceration record, The Game. The first record out of jail was the aptly titled Long Time No See. I’ve never heard his albums outside of the two in the ‘80s but based on this fantastic song, he definitely changed his sound with the times.

Daisy Dee
“Crazy” 1991, #73 (11 weeks) (download)

After being called out a few weeks ago for my mislabeling of European dance music, I’m not calling this Eurodance. I’m going to say this is Hip House. Am I right?

Anyway, Daisy Dee was a dutch singer and actress that had very minor success in her homebase of Curacao and later on in Germany, but “Crazy” was her only tune to crossover to the US charts.

Kiki Dee
“True Love” 1993, #56 (12 weeks) (download)

Yeah, that Kiki Dee (I mean, could there be other Kiki Dees?). After having some success in the ‘70s solo and having “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” go to #1 with Elton John in 1976, she didn’t hit the charts again until 1993 when she reunited with Sir Elton on his Duets record to lay to tape this Cole Porter tune made most famous by Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly.

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With Bottom Feeders we take a look at the songs on the Billboard Hot 100 that Casey Kasem never got to announce. It’s an A-Z look at songs that charted no higher than #41 in the decade. Take a listen, enjoy and comment. And don’t forget, information on the top 40, airplay and bubbling under charts are on pages 2-4.

Section 1: The Ass End

Cypress Hill
“How I Could Just Kill A Man” 1992, #77 (7 weeks) (download)
“The Phuncky Feel One” 1992, #94 (8 weeks) (download)
“We Ain’t Goin Out Like That” 1994, #65 (7 weeks) (download)
“Throw Your Set In the Air” 1995, #45 (18 weeks) (download)
“Boom Biddy Bye Bye” 1996, #87 (3 weeks) (download)
“Tequila Sunrise” 1998, #70 (7 weeks) (download)
“Dr. Greenthumb” 1998, #72 (4 weeks) (download)

If you’ve never heard anything but the singles from Cypress Hill you really should pick up the debut self-titled record from B-Real, Sen Dog and DJ Muggs. It featured the double A-side single “How I Could Just Kill A Man/The Phuncky Feel One” as well as great songs like “Hand on the Pump” “Pigs” and “Psycobetabuckdown.” That album was unlike anything else out at the time and with it, Cypress Hill became one of the first groups of the rap-rock era.

They followed that up with the commercially successful Black Sunday which gave the world “Insane in the Brain” (insane in the membrane!). “We Ain’t Goin’ Out Like That” (also referenced as “I Ain’t Goin’ Out Like That”), “When the Shit Goes Down” and “Hits from the Bong” are also fantastic songs.

Temples of Boom is where it started unraveling for Cypress Hill though. The beats were darker, the choruses not quite as sing along and you kind of knew the next track was going to be about weed. None of the singles (“Throw Your Set in the Air” “Illusions” and “Boom Biddy Bye Bye”) were memorable and for the first time they seemed to be moving sideways rather than pushing the genre forward.

Cypress Hill IV was certainly better than III but only the singles were really that interesting. In fact, “Dr. Greenthumb” may be one of their best songs.

After “Greenthumb” they didn’t have another hit until 2010 when they reunited after a six year split and released the album Rise Up. “Armada Latina” was the best song in years from them but including both Marc Anthony and Pitbull on it seemed a little bit too much of a calculated move to get a hit (which still didn’t happen as it only bubbled under).

Billy Ray Cyrus
“Could’ve Been Me” 1992, #72 (9 weeks) (download)
“She’s Not Crying Anymore” 1993, #70 (9 weeks) (download)
“In the Heart of a Woman” 1993, #76 (10 weeks) (download)
“Busy Man” 1999, #46 (17 weeks) (download)

Here’s something really scary. In the soundscan era, Billy Ray Cyrus’ debut album (Some Gave All) spent more weeks at #1 than any other record, at a whopping 17. It also sold nine million copies in the US along and more than 20 million worldwide.

The weird problem with Billy Ray Cyrus is of course that “Achy Breaky Heart” is the butt of many conversations today. Because of it, he was never able to duplicate that success on the pop charts. However, in the country world he still maintains a decent career and charts tracks from every album that he releases. He’s no Garth Brooks but he’s also not the joke people make him out to be. His harmless country tunes are somewhat generic but not bad in any way.

And really, I’m more upset that he gave us Hannah Montana than I am with “Achy Breaky Heart.”

Daft Punk
“Around the World” 1997, #61 (20 weeks) (download)

Here’s another case of perception not really matching reality (or maybe the charts not reflecting reality). I heard “Around the World” a million times and saw the video ever ten minutes on MTV back in the day. Daft Punk’s debut (Homework) really was the first time that I (and a lot of people) found house music quite accessible. So to see that it only reached #61 is a bit of a shock. And the equally delicious “Da Funk” only bubbled under.

Dakota Moon
“A Promise I Make” 1998, #69 (13 weeks) (download)

So many things were just a little bit off with Dakota Moon otherwise, these guys had the talent to make it. I mean, Dakota Moon screams female country group, not R&B (and they did have a slight country feel though). They played their own instruments and while “A Promise I Make” is a fantastic song, it comes across as the group not knowing if they wanted to sound like the Backstreet Boys or early ’80s AC artists. They had no real identity and thus only made it through two albums. Truly a shame to waste this talent.

Damage
“Love II Love” 1997, #82 (4 weeks) (download)

Here’s another group whose name doesn’t convey their type of music. Damage certainly doesn’t sound like the name of a soulful R&B group. But here we are with their only hit “Love II Love” which is harmless and average at best, done by a hundred other groups. I had no idea what the song was coming into this week and totally wasn’t expecting this sound. Damage is the name of a rock group, not this. I think the lesson learned this week is that bands really should think about the name of their group and what kind of vibe it gives off.

Michael Damian
“What A Price To Pay” 1991, #60 (8 weeks) (download)

I’m completely dumbstruck how Michael Damian had five charting songs in his career. One, maybe, but five? And “What A Price To Pay” was off the follow up disc to his big success, Where Do We Go From Here, not just charting on momentum only.

Damian Dame
“Exclusivity” 1991, #42 (12 weeks) (download)
“Right Down To It” 1991, #90 (6 weeks) (download)

Not to be confused with ‘80s and ‘90s rapper Dana Dane, Damian Dame were a male-female hip-hop duo with a ton of talent. They go down in history as the very first act signed to the label created by Babyface and LA Reid – LaFace Records. “Right Down To It” therefore is the first track from the label with the signature “LaFace sound.” I always thought that Damian had a better voice than Dame but together they were a great fit.

It was lack of talent or promotion that derailed the group, instead it was the death of Debra “Dame” Hurd in a moped accident in 1994 right before they were supposed to record a second record. Two years later Bruce “Damian” Broadus died from colon cancer. In an eerie moment, both of them died on the same day, June 27th, two years apart.

(Note: Web info says they died on the same date. The Billboard Hot 100 book says that Dame died on July 4th which would make it not that eerie at all. I’m going with web info though as Joel Whitburn’s staff tends to lack some accuracy in their notes sections.)

Damn Yankees
“Coming Of Age” 1990, #60 (12 weeks) (download)
“Come Again” 1991, #50 (10 weeks) (download)
“Silence Is Broken” 1993, #62 (10 weeks) (download)

Do you really need to listen to anything from the Damn Yankees other than “High Enough?” Actually, maybe the answer is you need to listen to everything but that song but seriously, while Damn Yankees were solid, they weren’t anything spectacular and frankly, I always get a chuckle when I think of how wussy this is for the Nuge. But Ted Nugent, Jack Blades and Tommy Shaw had a good idea getting the band together but without the greatest results in the world. Meanwhile, I would love to hear how some unknown drummer named Michael Cartellone felt pounding away at the skins behind three well known rock dudes (and how many times Uncle Ted shot at him.)

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Section 1: The Ass End

The Crooklyn Dodgers
“Crooklyn” 1994, #60 (12 weeks) (download)

Crooklyn Dodgers ‘95
“Return of the Crooklyn Dodgers” 1995, #96 (2 weeks) (download)

Although listed as one group in the Billboard bible, I think each group should have its old boldface. The original Crooklyn Dodgers were Buckshot, Masta Ace and Special Ed and were put together to record “Crooklyn” for Spike Lee’s movie of the same name.

The ’95 version was also put together by Lee to record “Return…” for his movie, Clockers. This version had a little more star power with the trio being Chubb Rock, O.C. and Jeru the Damaja.

David Crosby & Phil Collins
“Hero” 1993, #44 (20 weeks) (download)

Man, there’s nothing about “Hero” that I can stand in the least bit. The whole song sounds cold and synthetic and frankly a little amateurish. And Crosby and Phil Collins singing together, sounds horrible. And this was the lead track off Crosby’s Thousand Roads album. I’ve never heard the disc and have no desire to based on this tune. Phil recorded his own version of this and put it on the b-side to “We Wait and We Wonder.”

Sheryl Crow
“Leaving Las Vegas” 1994, #60 (10 weeks) (download)
“Anything But Down” 1999, #49 (13 weeks) (download)

Just like seven million other people in the US, I owned a copy of Tuesday Night Music Club and also followed it up with a copy of her self-titled second record. And then I realized I couldn’t fucking stand her. Why it took me so long, I don’t know, expect for the simple reason that we’ve established many times in this series already – from 1992-1999, I did most of my thinking with my dick and chicks dig the Crow, man.

However, I am relatively certain that I grew to like the first album at least after a couple dozen listens. I listen to “Leaving Las Vegas” now though and cringe at her vocals. Granted, there are better songs on the disc but nowadays I try to avoid her at all costs.

“Anything But Down” was off The Globe Sessions and honestly is a song that I don’t know if I’ve ever heard before right now.

Crowded House
“Fall At Your Feet” 1991, #75 (6 weeks) (download)

Not that I would anyway but I really can’t say anything bad about Crowded House around the Popdose staff that simply adores them. And while I and a lot of Americans failed to follow them into their ‘90s output, Woodface is definitely an underrated record now that I’ve had the years and time to catch up and “Fall At Your Feet” a perfectly fine song.

Cru
“Just Another Case” 1997, #68 (8 weeks) (download)

I don’t know how you take a group seriously when they go by the names Yogi, Chadio and Mighty Ha. However, “Just Another Case” both sampling and featuring Slick Rick, was a pretty good song off Cru’s only album, Da Dirty 30. And that 30 meant 30 tracks on the record, in only 55 minutes. How many times did you see this in the ’90s? A rap group with one record that’s double the size it should be. And rappers have still never learned that less is more in most cases.

Erin Cruise
“Cold Shower” 1992, #90 (7 weeks) (download)

I hadn’t heard this song in ages but I remember needing my own cold shower after seeing the smoking hot Erin Cruise and listening to her sultry voice on this track. If this has been released in 1987 rather than ’92, I’d bet it would have been a bigger hit but I still loved the tune and it brings back a ton of memories for me being 16 at the time. Cruise is still playing music in PA as the Cruise Control Band, so I tracked her down and asked her about “Cold Shower” (Thanks Erin!):

“Cold Shower” ended up being the hit song for you, being on the Billboard Hot 100 for seven weeks. I know you had a few songs in the clubs before then but how excited were you at the time to see your name on the charts?

Bruce Sudano, my producer, and his brother Barry and everyone involved, worked very hard to first get exposure through and support from the clubs. That’s where the “buzz” was created. Radio was the next step and recognition from the folks at Billboard Magazine was very satisfying! I was thrilled for all of us for landing a spot on their charts! It was very cool!! One of my best moments in my career!

Can you talk about what you were doing at the time you first heard the song on the radio and do you remember your reaction?

I was living just outside of NYC and like any other morning, woke up to my alarm which was set to one of the Top 40 radio stations. This particular morning my song was playing when the alarm went off. That was really weird! Ha!

When “Cold Shower” came out, I was 16 and while I remember liking the song, I remember liking the artwork just as much. That was quite a sultry picture of you, maybe the best possible choice for a song like that. Whose decision was it to go with the steamy and seductive look?

Well, it was unanimous!! What else would you do?? Of course, we could have gotten a little steamier, naked in a shower instead of the raincoat but I liked that too. Double entendre!

Upon reading your bio a bit, while you didn’t have another Billboard hit, you’ve maintained a nice singing career since that point. When you look back on those days are you happy with how everything played out?

Oh my gosh, the “what-ifs!” I think for huge success in the music business, you have to breathe it, sleep it, eat it, drink it, live it. I had other priorities after my hit, a marriage and then kids. So I started my own music business that kept me local. Would I have loved a tour?? Hell yeah! I do wish I had the knowledge and maturity and experience and level of talent I have NOW, back then when I had my hit record.

I watched a YouTube clip of the Cruise Control Band the other day and you still have a fantastic voice. You’re playing a lot in Western PA with your band these days. Tell us a little about the group and what you’re up to next?

I’m actually in South Central PA. Yeah, I’ve been singing almost every weekend for 20 years. My business, Cruise Control Music, provides “live” music for all kinds of events with ensembles ranging from a soloist up to a 10-pc. band. I live close to Baltimore, DC, Philadelphia, NYC, so I work those areas. This year is the 20th anniversary of “Cold Shower”. I’m hoping to get into the studio and re-record it. Working on funding! Plan to use my daughter on vocals as well, although she’s not the least bit interested in the business.

Crush
“Jellyhead” 1996, #72 (21 weeks) (download)

Crush was the duo of Donna Air and Jayni Hoy both stars on the UK series Byker Grove. They were originally a trio known as Byker Grooove! and then dropped to a duo and changed their name to Crush. Their album was originally only released in Japan, then Air left the group and the album was remixed while new songs were added with a different vocalist before being released as a self-titled record. The song itself is one that you still hear on ‘90s stations and really is flat out fantastic.

Oh and speaking of sexy ladies, Donna Air’s a British supermodel.

Chris Cuevas
“You Are the One” 1992, #58 (11 weeks) (download)

Even back in 1992, cheesy shit won competition shows. “You Are the One” hit the charts exactly one week before Cuevas’s 19th birthday and 4+ years after he won the Junior Vocalist competition on Star Search. It was actually Debbie Gibson and her staff that helped him get signed to Atlantic for his 1991 CD release. These days, Chris is a country artist living in Mississippi. A far cry from “You Are the One.”

The Cure
“Pictures Of You” 1990, #71 (8 weeks) (download)
“Never Enough” 1990, #72 (4 weeks) (download)
“Close To Me” 1991, #97 (3 weeks) (download)
“High” 1992, #42 (12 weeks) (download)
“The 13th” 1996, #44 (4 weeks) (download)
“Mint Car” 1996, #58 (5 weeks) (download)

Four of the six tunes here were in the midst of the Cure’s peak period – ’87-’93. “Pictures of You” was that dreaded 4th single that was so prevalent in the ‘80s, off what may very well be the best album of 1989, Disintegration. If for some reason, you aren’t familiar with the Cure, starting with this album is the right thing to do.

For the follow up record, Robert Smith wanted to do something fun which seems to go against everything you know about him. But “Never Enough” was a new song and “Close To Me” was a new mix of a tune off The Head on the Door, both featured on the Cure remix album, Mixed Up. While “Never Enough” is a fantastic song, it pains me to listen to the almost hip-hop beat behind “Close To Me” which is gorgeous in its original form.

1992’s Wish was really the last moment of glory for the Cure for quite a few years, thanks to the major success of “Friday, I’m In Love.” But it was “High” that was the first single off the record and paved the way for the lighter and more upbeat sound of the record.

After a bit of a dead period, the Cure put out Wild Mood Swings which, along with ‘84s The Top, are considered the low points in their catalog. The album title is perfect to describe the album, one moody track followed by one lighthearted upbeat track, throughout the disc. It’s an album that has moments of brilliance and moments like “The 13th” that we could have done without.

Cut ‘N’ Move
“Get Serious” 1991, #76 (6 weeks) (download)

Eurodance!!!!!

This is the only track I know from Cut ‘N’ Move, consisting of two Danish producers, MC Zipp and singer Thera Hoeymanss. You will certainly notice a slight resemblance to C&C Music Factory here.

Cynthia
“Dream Boy-Dream Girl” 1990, #53 (13 weeks) (download)
“Break Up To Make Up” 1991, #70 (8 weeks) (download)
“If I Had the Chance” 1998, #83 (7 weeks) (download)

Bronx singer Cynthia Torres hit at the peak of the freestyle movement and while not the biggest name in the scene, at least to someone like me that was never in the middle of that crowd, her duet with Johnny ‘O’, “Dream Boy-Dream Girl” is really the song she’s known for. I’m a little surprised that “If I Had the Chance” actually charted. Though I think it’s the best of her singles, it’s a little dated for 1998.

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Section 1: The Ass End

Michael Cooper
“Shoop Shoop (Never Stop Givin’ You Love)” 1993, #67 (9 weeks) (download)

There’s “The Shoop Shoop Song,” “Shoop” by Salt-N-Pepa and “Exhale (Shoop Shoop)” by Whitney Houston, all three significantly better than this Shoop song by the former lead singer of Con Funk Shun.

Corina
“Whispers” 1991, #51 (20 weeks) (download)
“Summertime Summertime” 1997, #86 (8 weeks) (download)

Corina’s debut self-titled record was simply a fantastic piece of dance pop. I thought she bridged the end of the ‘80s dance sound with the more stylized ‘90s version without sounding cheesy at all. In fact, I’m pretty sure that “Temptation” is one of the best songs of the entire decade. “Whispers” was the final song added to the record. Rianna Paige recorded it for her record but her label went under, so it was presented to Corina to record and it turned out fantastic.

As I mentioned back in the ‘80s, I think I’ve heard “Summertime Summertime” by Nocera more in the past two decades than anyone else in the world. I also kind of feel that there are 100 covers of it out there but if there are, only two of them charted, Corina’s version being the other one. Ten years after Nocera’s release of the song, this version charted two spots lower than the original. The cover is a little more club ready and actually the better of the two versions, though stylistically they really aren’t that different.

Coro
“My Fallen Angel” 1991, #54 (11 weeks) (download)

Corina took you into the ‘90s but Coro takes you right back into the heart of ‘80s freestyle. This was a dude named Jose Coro from the freestyle mecca of Miami, FL. Joel Whitburn says he not only acted in Miami Vice but was in Don Johnson’s “Heartbeat” video. There’s like 10,000 credits for the show on IMDB but I don’t see this dude and I refuse to watch a Don Johnson video to figure out exactly which one he is.  (Note: Curiosity got the best of me and I watched “Heartbeat” anyway.  I still don’t know which one he is as the shittiness of the video was just too overwhelming),

Corona
“Baby Baby” 1995, #57 (17 weeks) (download)

Eurodance!!!!

Not to be confused with Corina, Corona was an Italian duo consisting of producer Francesco Bontempi and singer Olga DeSouza but the odd thing was that even though she was considered the leader of the group, she didn’t sing on most of the popular Corona songs. “Baby Baby” featured Sandy Chambers on vocals. She only received a credit on the song when a sexy group called Sunblock covered the song in 2007 and gave Chambers her proper due.

The Corrs
“Runaway” 1995, #68 (11 weeks) (download)

Every single time I write something about the Corrs, I end up talking about the silver bullet instead. So this time, I’m going to triple check that I’m not doubling up on the OO.

Although they had a fantastic career in many other parts of the world, their Irish adult pop never translated to success in the U.S. I probably should have known they wouldn’t be a hit here after they started getting PBS specials but for a while they were such a rage that it seemed inevitable they would be huge. I still don’t really understand why “Runaway” wasn’t a hit in the US as it’s a great song but I guess we just didn’t appreciate the family as much as everyone else.

The Cover Girls
“All That Glitters Isn’t Gold” 1990, #49 (12 weeks) (download)
“Thank You” 1992, #75 (8 weeks) (download)

I realize that the group had a #8 hit (“We Can’t Go Wrong”) off their second record and a #9 hit (“Wishing On A Star”) off their third but in reality they shot their wad with Show Me, their 1987 debut. Although “Show Me” “Because of You” and others weren’t actually big hits for them in the late ‘80s, those are really the memorable songs. I don’t know if there were any songs given to them after the first release that are even worth a second listen and all but one member of the group left and were replaced, so there was just no consistency on the Cover Girls front.

Deborah Cox
“Where Do We Go From Here” 1996, #48 (14 weeks) (download)
“The Sound of My Tears” 1997, #97 (4 weeks) (download)
“Things Just Ain’t the Same” 1997, #56 (17 weeks) (download)
“It’s Over Now” 1999, #70 (6 weeks) (download)

I never really knew what to make of Deborah Cox. To me, she was always one of those second tier artists. Never quite in the range of say, a Brandy or Mary J. Blige but still decent in her own right, Cox hasn’t stuck with me over the years. To me, she was best on mid-tempo tracks like “Things Just Ain’t the Same” and while I like “It’s Over Now,” that track feels like it’s been done 1000 times. If one Deborah Cox song will stand the test of time it’s “Nobody’s Supposed To Be Here” which spent eight weeks at #2 and 14 weeks at the top of the R&B chart, which was a record at the time.

Cracker
“Low” 1994, #64 (13 weeks) (download)

Such a shame here but the world knows this song even though it didn’t have Top 40 success. “Low” is one of my favorite songs of all time from one of the best albums of the decade – Kerosene Hat. This track will last forever due in part to its ability to be played on both alternative and rock stations. Plus it’s catchy as hell. I’m convinced that Cracker should have been huge and that David Lowery is one of the pure geniuses of rock music. I really wonder if a better video might have been the key…

The Cranberries
“Dreams” 1994, #42 (20 weeks) (download)
“Free To Decide” 1996, #48 (20 weeks) (download)

The Cranberries is the only group that was once part of my most hated list and was able to get off. To be fair, I don’t hate many groups. I mean, Justin Beiber isn’t on this list, Insane Clown Posse isn’t on it either. Before “Dreams” the only group on that list was Sonic Youth, then the chalkboard vocals of Delores O’Riordan in “Linger” “Dreams” and of course “Zombie” made me want rip my ears out. However, in 2001 I was in a record store and they were playing the entire Wake Up and Smell the Coffee record which surprisingly I didn’t find totally horrible. It was then I had to remove them from the list. As of 2012, the list still only consists of two bands, the aforementioned Sonic Youth and Nickelback. Still, I really never need to hear from this group again.

Crash Test Dummies
“Superman’s Song” 1991, #56 (6 weeks) (download)
“Afternoons & Coffeespoons” 1994, #66 (10 weeks) (download)

I was introduced to the band the way most people in the US were, through “Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm.” I picked up God Shuffled His Feet based on that track and found a fantastic record inside. Songs like “Afternoons & Coffeespoons,” “In the Days of the Caveman” and “I Think I’ll Disappear Now” will forever remind me of my senior year in high-school. I never went back and picked up their debut, The Ghosts That Haunt Me, though. “Superman’s Song” never got any airplay in my neck of the woods, so I didn’t even realize that they had a hit before their breakthrough.

Brad Roberts never really liked the fame that came with God Shuffled His Feet and kept moving from place to place to try to avoid it which was partially why they never really had a shot at staying big. And of course the simple fact that quirkiness and a gimmick can only go so far.

I still remember the rumor that Brad Roberts got his deep voice because he has three balls. Was that ever confirmed or simply a joke? C’mon Brad, show us your nuts!

Creed
“One” 1999, #70 (20 weeks) (download)

I’d love to lie to you and tell you that Douchehole Magee and his band were always hated by me and all my friends but I cannot fib like that. In fact, Creed’s debut (My Own Prison) was in heavy rotation my senior year of college, not just by meatheads but by dorks like me as well. I loved the disc and in fact, I still own it and would almost bet that if I ever picked it back up and listened to it from start to finish that I’d still like it. They and Scott Stapp in particular are seriously hard to like now but “One” hit at a time before everyone considered them lame.

Elvis Crespo
“Suavemente” 1998, #84 (2 weeks) (download)

Hey everybody, Merengue!

“Suave!”

“Suave!”

“Suave!” (Suave)

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With Bottom Feeders we take a look at the songs on the Billboard Hot 100 that Casey Kasem never got to announce. It’s an A-Z look at songs that charted no higher than #41 in the decade. Take a listen, enjoy and comment. And don’t forget, information on the top 40, airplay and bubbling under charts are on pages 2-4.

Section 1: The Ass End

Collage
“I’ll Be Loving You” 1993, #56 (20 weeks) (download)

Adam Marano and Tony Monte were both students at Temple when they created this tune off their Chapter One lp. That put them within driving distance of my house so I certainly remember the hype in the Philadelphia clubs for these dudes. Even with only charting at #56 that was kind of impressive for a release on Viper records which was Marano’s label which may or may not have been run out of his dorm room.

Collective Soul
“Precious Declaration” 1997, #65 (10 weeks) (download)
“Listen” 1997, #72 (11 weeks) (download)
“Heavy” 1999, #73 (20 weeks) (download)
“Run” 1999, #76 (7 weeks) (download)

Collective Soul got a ton of airplay in Philly and made quite a name for themselves in the ‘90s playing rock music that was kind of unique for the time. Ross Childress’s riffs on the faster tracks, like “Heavy” have a definite foot in the hard rock door, while Ed Roland’s songwriting helped them dip into the pop market. Roland’s vocals were instantly recognizable at the time as well.

Holy crap though, even the major hits like “December” and especially “Shine” sound ridiculously dated at this point. Sure, they were good tunes back in the day but Collective Soul songs aged so poorly. I recognized all of the tunes in this post after listening to them again, but I couldn’t have hummed one note of these songs before that point. Very few Collective Soul tunes have made a lasting impression on me and despite the fact that they are still together and releasing music, I haven’t heard a peep from them in years.

College Boyz
“Victim of the Ghetto” 1992, #68 (15 weeks) (download)
You gotta love the opening line of this track, “you know…it really ain’t that bad once you understand the science of this shit.” Well, I suppose Rom, Squeak, The Q and DJ B-Selector didn’t quite understand like they thought they did as “Victim of the Ghetto” was their only hit off of their poorly named debut, Radio Fusion Radio. They released one more record then faded into oblivion. Act like ya know.

Phil Collins
“Who Said I Would (Live)” 1991, #73 (5 weeks) (download)
“Dance Into the Light” 1996, #45 (16 weeks) (download)
“It’s In Your Eyes” 1997, #77 (14 weeks) (download)

Phil Collins ‘90s output was interesting without a doubt. Genesis’s put out the most progressive stuff they’d released in years, then Phil released Both Sides, a super dark, personal record that reminded me a lot of Face Value. This album was criticized for good reason because Phil used drum machines on the entire thing which just seems silly coming from a world class drummer. He followed it up with the lighthearted, upbeat Dance Into the Light which I still maintain is a very underrated record. One listen to that disc and you can totally hear why the Tarzan soundtrack was the logical next step in his career.

Tyler Collins
“Second Chance” 1990, #53 (9 weeks) (download)
“It Doesn’t Matter” 1992, #88 (3 weeks) (download)
“Never Alone (Eeyore’s Lullaby)” 1995, #48 (2 weeks) (download)

No relation to Phil, Ms. Collins was an R&B singer from Detroit via Harlem. The biggest issue with her music is that she didn’t seem to know what kind of artist she wanted to be. She hit #6 in 1990 with the song “Girls Nite Out” from the album of the same name and that and “Second Chance” were dance tunes. “It Doesn’t Matter” was a silky smooth R&B tune and “Never Alone” was a pop song. Her final single here is actually the best one but really, can an artist ever recover from a title of “Eeyore’s Lullaby” – even if it’s parenthetical?

Color Me Badd
“Remember When” 1998, #48 (13 weeks) (download)

A rapper, a Mexican dude, a street white dude and a guy who originally looked like Kenny G. Now that screams hit makers!

Discovered by none other than Robert “Kool” Bell, Color Me Badd unfortunately doesn’t get looked back on too kindly these days. But the group was actually pretty damn solid and I will fight you to my grave that “All 4 Love” is one of the best songs ever.

While C.M.B. had the biggest hits, Time and Chance was a good record it its own right. Both “Choose” and the title track can be held up against the tracks on the debut and they hold their own.

Sure, the group was a little cheesy but they had talent, the right producers and hit at exactly the right time. Even in 1998 when they had started to fade and released their final record they were able to produce “Remember When” which is a fantastic R&B tune.

I’ve often wondered what they could have done to make themselves a little more respectable in the long run and I’ve never figured it out. Maybe there wasn’t a way. They were a product of the scene at the time and fit in extremely well. They really weren’t made for the long run but at least the major hits will be around forever.

Colourhaus
“Innocent Child” 1992, #50 (10 weeks) (download)

We talked about this one at the beginning of the series a little bit thanks to the post on lead singer, Sherrie Krenn. Yeah, sure, I know we haven’t reached the letter K yet but that’s okay because when Sherrie left Colourhaus she changed her last name to Austin and became a country star. The other member of the group was Phil Radford. According to the Joel Whitburn bible, he wrote “The Flame” for Cheap Trick but he’s not listed on the album as a writer for any tune. Hmmmm….

The Commitments
“Try A Little Tenderness” 1991, #67 (4 weeks) (download)

One in a series of 45’s released from the soundtrack to the movie, this Otis Redding cover was the only the only track to chart from the gaggle of musicians that were in the flick.

Harry Connick Jr.
“(I Could Only) Whisper Your Name” 1994, #67 (20 weeks) (download)

Wow, I completely forgot about this song and definitely wouldn’t have been able to tell you that it was Harry Connick Jr. But it was off his 1994 New Orleans funk record – She – and is certainly a fantastic song.

The Conscious Daughters
“Something To Ride To (Fonky Expedition)” 1994, #42 (15 weeks) (download)

What are these girls conscious of? Or did they mean that they hadn’t yet passed out from the gin & juice? I remember hearing this when it first came out and having no idea that the first rapper (Karryl aka “K” aka “Special One) was actually a woman. Definitely sounds like a dude. And is being “fonky” better or worse than simply being “funky.” What a confusing track.

Cool Breeze
“Watch for the Hook” 1999, #73 (10 weeks) (download)

You may have never heard this song and have no idea who Freddy Calhoun aka Cool Breeze is but what you need to know is that he is credited with penning the term “Dirty South” which is a song he wrote with the Goodie Mob back in 1995. Now that you know that, the Merry Clayton sung sample of Neil Young’s “Southern Man” in “Watch for the Hook” doesn’t seem so out of place.

Cool Breeze was a member of the Dungeon Family which placed their artists all over the place in the ‘90s and 2000’s. Outkast, Goodie Mob and Witchdoctor from the crew were all on this track and other members of the family include Sleepy Brown, Bubba Sparxxx and Cee-Lo Green.

Alice Cooper
“House of Fire” 1990, #56 (9 weeks) (download)
“Only My Heart Talkin’” 1990, #89 (3 weeks) (download)
“Hey Stoopid” 1991, #78 (5 weeks) (download)

’89 – ’93 marks the comeback period for Alice Cooper after years of laughable songwriting. So of course he did what any aging rocker does at this point – no, not the songbook – but he went to Desmond Child to write some hits. Child did that for him even if both Trash and Hey Stoopid came out sounding a bit sterile, it provided him the hit in “Poison” that he needed to be able to continue making new music in the future.

Part of Desmond Child’s plan was also another aging rocker trick – get other celebrity musicians to play on the discs. Trash had all the members of Aerosmith on it, as well as Richie Sambora, Jon Bon Jovi, Stiv Bators, Michael Anthony and more. “House of Fire” was co-written with Joan Jett and the only thing that really saves “Only My Heart Talkin’” is the presence of Steven Tyler.

The Hey Stoopid record scaled back a little but still had its share of celebrities on it. This record featured Steve Vai and Nikki Sixx on the single “Feed My Frankenstein.” The title track featured Joe Satriani and Slash on guitars and Ozzy Osbourne on vocals.

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With Bottom Feeders we take a look at the songs on the Billboard Hot 100 that Casey Kasem never got to announce.  It’s an A-Z look at songs that charted no higher than #41 in the decade.   Take a listen, enjoy and comment.  And don’t forget, information on the top 40, airplay and bubbling under charts are on pages 2-4.

Section 1: The Ass End

Eric Clapton
“Bad Love” 1990, #88 (5 weeks) (download)

Journeyman was seen as a return to form for Clapton in 1989 but only two songs charted, “Pretending” and this tune which featured Phil Collins on backing vocals. Co-written by Mick Jones of Foreigner, he won a Grammy for best Rock Male Vocal on this one. Pickings must have been slim.

Terri Clark
“Now That I Found You” 1998, #72 (13 weeks) (download)
“Everytime I Cry” 1999, #69 (8 weeks) (download)

1998 was around the point when country singer Terri Clark came into her own with the singles above, her first #1 country hit, “You’re Easy On the Eyes” and third album, How I Feel. Over her career she’s had 22 songs on the country chart with only two hitting the #1 slot. And I say “only” because again, everything hits #1 on the country chart for a week it seems.

Classic Example
“It’s Alright” 1992, #68 (14 weeks) (download)

“It’s Alright” was released on the label, Hollywood Basic, which ends up being a perfect way to describe Classic Example. A five-piece group out of Boston had their one shot at fame with this track from the movie South Central. Neither terrible nor very good, it truly is a very basic song. And I’ve always found it kind of odd with songs like this, which featured the Boys on background vocals. There are already five members in the group, why did they need to bring four more people in to do backgrounds. Was there no one in the group good enough to pull it off?

Cleopatra
“Life Ain’t Easy” 1998, #81 (5 weeks) (download)

Cleopatra was one of those completely random late ‘90s early ‘00s signings by Maverick records which seriously had to be the worse label to promote a new artist. Maybe Madonna’s label signed them because the lead singer was named Cleopatra Madonna. “Life Ain’t Easy” is one of the few songs even listenable on the English trio’s debut, Comin’ Atcha!. “Cleopatra’s Theme” somehow hit the top 40 even though it’s simply a horrible tune.

The Click
“Hurricane” 1995, #63 (13 weeks) (download)

Although there’s no way this is a worse song than Chuckebutt gave us last week,  I still can’t help but laugh at how ridiculous this song is. E-40, D-Shot, Suga T. and B-Legit had some shots thanks to hype around E-40 himself but this “hurricane/slurricane” crap was the best tune the group could come up with.

“Hurricane / but you can call me sluricane / sluricane / strong enough to start an engine main.”   Ha. That’s just fucking ridiculous.

Clubland
“Hold On (Tighter To Love)” 1992, #79 (12 weeks) (download)
“Set Me Free” 1992, #90 (4 weeks) (download)

Holy shit, these two singles were released only four months apart and yet sound like two different groups. The group consisted of Swedish producer Jan Ekholm, English drummer Morgan King and vocalist Zemya Hamilton. “Hold On” went to number one on the dance charts, while “Set Me Free” peaked at #2. I prefer the mellower dance flavor of the latter over the former’s club feel. The spoken “She’s Lying” under Hamilton’s vocals in “Set Me Free” is a neat little touch on the tune.

Club 69
“Much Better” 1998, #95 (3 weeks) (download)

Here’s a great dance tune from a producer just starting out named Peter Rauhofer. Since Club 69, he’s gone on to remix artists like Madonna (which he told me was “every remixer’s dream”), Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake and Beyonce just to name a few. He also won a Grammy in 2000 for remixer of the year.  Since Rauhofer made music for the clubs I asked him if “Much Better” hitting the Hot 100 was even a big deal for him and he said “the big hit was “Let Me Be Your Underwear.” “Much Better”  wasn’t nearly as successful.”

He hasn’t forgotten his Club 69 days as his new company is called Star 69 as a part of a tie in to his previous work.

Anita Cochran
“What If I Said” 1998, #59 (15 weeks) (download)

Why did all country songs seem to be released as singles in the ’90s? Country needed some airplay only tunes too, as I’m already tired of addressing cheesy tunes like this one and we’re only in the mid Cs. This duet between Cochran and Steve Wariner is right at the pinnacle of the stinky Limburger.

Tom Cochrane
“Washed Away” 1992, #88 (4 weeks) (download)

I may never say this again but right now I wish I was in Canada. When I tell you that to this day I still love both “Life Is A Highway” and the amazing album Mad Mad World, I will have effectively destroyed any credibility that I still have. If I lived in say, Ontario though, I could say that and totally get away with it since Cochrane is in the Canadian Hall of Fame.

I could try to make a case for the stunning pop sensibilities of the album or the instant catchiness of most of the tunes on it but then someone would inevitably bring up that those posers in Rascal Flatts covered “Life Is A Highway” poorly a few years ago. But all you people out there right now that laugh at the thought of Tom Cochrane, I want to see the video of you singing along to the hit at your Christmas party in 1992. Take that, suckas.

Joe Cocker
“What Are You Doing With A Fool Like Me” 1990, #96 (1 weeks) (download)

This was Cocker’s final Hot 100 hit, 22 years after his first. It was the first single off the 1990 album Joe Cocker Live but wasn’t a live track. Joe’s released nine albums since that point, most of them not seeing a US release until long after it was released in the UK and Germany where he still charts songs. In fact, his latest album (Hard Knocks) was released in 2010 in Europe and didn’t get a release here until this January. In this day of digital downloads, something like this still seems a bit silly to me.

Marc Cohn
“Silver Thunderbird” 1991, #63 (8 weeks) (download)
“True Companion” 1991, #80 (5 weeks) (download)

Marc Cohn’s self titled debut is a true masterpiece of a record. Led by “Walking in Memphis,” the first of six singles from the album, it earned him the Grammy award in 1991 for best new artist. To me, he was always a mellower version of Bruce Hornsby and if he put out the record in 1988 instead, he probably would have been able to play his sound out over the course of at least a few more records. Instead, the first single off his 1993 follow up (The Rainy Season) stalled on the bubbling under charts and AC charts and Cohn really never made another hit song.

I actually remember going into work on August 8th, 2005 and reading about how he had been shot in the head in an attempted car-jacking. It’s kind of funny that I can barely remember what I ate this morning but this story about a guy that hadn’t been on my radar in over a decade does.

“Silver Thunderbird” gets put on the list for best song of this series.

Coko
“Sunshine” 1999, #70 (12 weeks) (download)

Coko was the lead singer of SWV. After the group broke up, she released her first solo record (Hot Coko) in 1999 which featured “Sunshine” which was just as good, if not better than most of SWV’s material. It wasn’t a success though and the second album got shelved. She then married a gospel producer and in 2006 started releasing gospel albums.

Jude Cole
“House Full of Reasons” 1990, #69 (15 weeks) (download)
“Start the Car” 1992, #71 (7 weeks) (download)
“Tell the Truth” 1993, #57 (12 weeks) (download)

The three songs here provide a great example of the variety of sounds of Mr. Cole. “House Full of Reasons” has a late ‘80s Squeeze feel, “Start the Car” sounds more like a Bryan Adams tune and “Tell the Truth” was more adult contemporary-ish. He’s released five studio records, scored three of Keifer Sutherland’s movies and is the guy responsible for inflicting Lifehouse on the world (he’s their manager).

Natalie Cole
“A Smile Like Yours” 1997, #84 (5 weeks) (download)

After releasing “Unforgettable” in 1991 there was very little chart action for Natalie Cole. She switched directions and released jazz standards and Christmas records for much of the remainder of the decade and actually is still doing so today.

Samantha Cole
“Happy With You” 1997, #78 (5 weeks) (download)

I’d bet there aren’t many singers in the world that can say they got their start on MTV’s The Grind, right? But the shirtless Eric Nies dance show was where she had her first performance and from that got signed to Universal Records. It ain’t Ryan Seacrest and Simon Cowell but whatever works.

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Bottom Feeders takes a look back at every song that hit the Billboard Hot 100 charts, but only if they didn’t crack the top 40. It’s not meant to be a comprehensive review of each tune or each artist, but rather my view of the music I grew up loving. It’s meant to bring back all the great and really crappy songs that have faded into oblivion over time for one reason or another And, the series is designed to get discussions going about the music. I don’t have expert knowledge of every song posted here but I want to hear from you with your memories of the tunes, comments about a artist or general thoughts.

Section 1: The Ass End

Charm
“Butt Naked” 1992, #91 (3 weeks) (download)

This song is a perfect example of why so many artists in the ‘90s were one and done. It’s a complete bullshit cash-in tune with no redeeming value at all. Maybe the least hardcore rap to ever come from Brooklyn.

Charm Farm
“Superstar” 1996, #89 (4 weeks) (download)

There were a lot of Charm Farms out there it seems and a lot of different players within this Charm Farm, a dance-pop-rock band from Detroit. I remember the album (Pervert) vaguely from my college days, being kind of a bizarre mix of styles that really made it flow quite poorly.

Cheap Trick
“Wherever Would I Be” 1990, #50 (10 weeks) (download)

This song annoys me out of principal. The label surely wanted another “The Flame” so they brought in Diane Warren to pen this tune (she co-wrote “Ghost Town” too). And much of the rest of their 1990 album – Busted – was in the same vein as Lap of Luxury, not bad, but sterile and cold compared to what Cheap Trick used to be. When the group felt they needed the record deal they bent over backwards to let Epic bring in outside writers to craft their tunes and it worked wonders in terms of chart success but in the end it was the downfall of the band. Epic released them after this album and that’s probably the best thing that could have happened to Cheap Trick. It took a while to recapture the old magic again – some would say that happened with Cheap Trick II in 1997 but if that was up for debate, then they really came back strong with 2006’s Rockford.

The Chemical Brothers
“Setting Sun” 1997, #80 (5 weeks) (download)

This one surprises me quite a bit but I guess the Chemical Brothers were more of an MTV group than made for radio. This track is pretty damn cool and featured Noel Gallagher on vocals which means it should have blown up. And “Block Rockin’ Beats” only bubbled under. What in the world?

Cher
“One by One” 1996, #52 (14 weeks) (download)
“Strong Enough” 1999, #57 (12 weeks) (download)

I’m fully willing to admit that in 1989 as a pimply face teenager, I surely got a stiffy from the video for “If I Could Turn Back Time.” I mean, I don’t remember the actual stiffy as that would be quite odd but she was a milf before that term existed. Then as I got older I realized how absolutely wrong that was and in turn ignored Cher no matter what she did. Sure, “Believe” was hard to tune out since it gave her her first #1 in 24 years but beyond that, I couldn’t care less about her ‘90s output.

Neneh Cherry
“Buddy X” 1993, #43 (12 weeks) (download)

Being a little different is what got Neneh Cherry her fame and also was probably her downfall. 1988’s Raw Like Sushi was a little pop, a little rap, a little rock and a little reggae but was accessible enough to really connect with any audience. The 1992 follow up – Homebrew – wasn’t as easy to digest as she moved more towards trip hop and jazz fusion-type sounds on the disc. Critical success didn’t translate into commercial success though and 1996’s Man (which I didn’t even know existed) was her final record. She’s now recording at part of the group CirKus which includes her husband, daughter and daughter’s boyfriend. I’ve only heard one recording from the new group – 2006’s Laylow – and that’s simply unlistenable.

Note: She also had a duet with Youssou N’Dour in 1994 which we’ll chat about in N.

Kenny Chesney
“That’s Why I’m Here” 1998, #79 (7 weeks) (download)
“She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy” 1999, #74 (12 weeks) (download)

I swear Kenny Chesney is the redneck Jimmy Buffet. Sickeningly handsome, totally laid back and loved by people who simply love to mellow out, in 20 years this dude will have his own franchise of everything in the world as well. I never really enjoyed Jimmy and I don’t like Kenny Chesney that much either but country fans do and more importantly, women do. Gentlemen. If you are single and wish to get laid, put on a cowboy hat and some boots and bring two friends to a Kenny Chesney concert. It’s almost impossible that one of 10,000 women in attendance won’t give the jimmy a little tug at least. And if you can’t get laid, you’re doomed for life to be a virgin.

Chicago
“Hearts in Trouble” 1990, #75 (5 weeks) (download)

Once Greatest Hits 1982-1989 came out in ’89, there was really no reason to buy another Chicago disc. The hits stopped coming at this point with only three songs hitting the charts in the decade. “Hearts in Trouble” wasn’t a bad tune though with Bill Champlin on lead but you had to buy the Days of Thunder soundtrack to get it on an album.

Desmond Child
“You’re the Story of My Life” 1991, #74 (6 weeks) (download)

I don’t think I even knew Desmond Child released a solo record. But Discipline contained this very Chicago like “You’re the Story of My Life” and top 40 hit “Love On A Rooftop” both co-written with Diane Warren. These certainly don’t stand up to most of his great writing credits but aren’t terrible either. The album featured guests like Joan Jett, Richie Sambora, Tico Torres, Vivian Campbell and Butch Walker.

Jane Child
“Welcome to the Real World” 1990, #49 (9 weeks) (download)

Jane Child’s self-titled 1989 debut is really a fantastic mix of dance-pop with a slight R&B feel to it. “Welcome to the Real World” was the first cut on the disc that also featured her big hit, “Don’t Wanna Fall In Love.” Her 1993 follow up – Here Not There – took her in a different direction though, with hard rock and new jack swing most prevalent. It really wasn’t a great move on her part and that would be the last thing she would put out until 2002.

The Chimes
“1-2-3” 1990, #86 (5 weeks) (download)

“1-2-3” only hit #86 on the hot 100 but hit #1 on the dance charts which is curious since this track just feels way too mid-paced to be able to dance to it at all. The Scottish trio had better luck oversees as they are known for their hit remake of U2’s “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.”

Christion
“Full of Smoke” 1997, #53 (18 weeks) (download)
“I Wanna Get Next To You” 1998, #86 (4 weeks) (download)

Christion’s place in history is that they were the first non-rap act signed to Jay Z’s Roc-A-Fella records. “Full of Smoke” is a dull introduction to the group, but nevertheless they were still good enough in the label’s eyes to get bumped up to the papa, Def Jam,  for 1997’s Ghetto Cyrano record. “I Wanna Get Next To You” is a much better sample of the group, the second and final single off that record.

Shawn Christopher
“Another Sleepless Night” 1991, #67 (7 weeks) (download)
“Don’t Lose the Magic” 1992, #71 (8 weeks) (download)

Shawn Christopher has had quite the eclectic career. The sister of Gavin Christopher (who had his brief moment in the spotlight in the ‘80s), she started out as a touring vocalist in the early-mid ‘80s with Chaka Khan, ended up doing some dance numbers of her own, singing with Sonia Dada, being part of My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult for a while and being the orgasm on the now classic “French Kiss” by Lil Louis.

Not surprisingly she had better success on the dance charts, with these two tunes pretty much being the sound of most of her solo work. “Another Sleepless Night” is credited to Mike Wilson & Shawn Christopher, with Wilson creating the house beat for the tune.

Chubb Rock
“Treat ‘Em Right” 1991, #95 (2 weeks) (download)

You have to admire Chubb Rock for following his dream. A smart dude, he dropped out of the pre-med program at Brown to pursue his rapping care “Treat ‘Em Right” is one of the greatest rap songs of all time, he doesn’t have much else to show for it. He was on the Marriage Ref  last year though! Put that on your resume!

Chucklebutt
“Tubthumping” 1998, #87 (6 weeks) (download)

Strike while the iron is hot I guess, right? Both Chumbawamba’s original version and this just flat out hideous cover done by some studio musicians from New Jersey were on the chart at the same time. These people must have had naked pictures of someone to use as leverage. Even if you hate the original, this version is a thousand times worse. It will certainly go on the short list for worst song in this series.

Cinderella
“Heartbreak Station” 1991, #44 (11 weeks) (download)

Just like I said in the ‘80s version, I could be biased because these guys were hometown boys but it always felt like they were a cut above some of the other glam bands. And by the time their Heartbreak Station came out in 1990, they were slowly moving away from the glam and towards more blues rock tuneage. They released Still Climbing in 1994 and when only die hards bought it, they decided to call it a day.

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Bottom Feeders

Section 1: The Ass End

Capleton
“Tour” 1995, #57 (14 weeks) (download)
“Wings of the Morning” 1995, #79 (10 weeks) (download)

While there was certainly a decent amount of reggae on the charts in the ‘90s, the reason these two hit were because of the recognizable samples. I mean really, unless you are super familiar with reggae, how in the world can you understand more than a handful of words in each of these tunes? But “Wings of the Morning” certainly benefited from the remix version here, with Method Man rapping, ‘Lil Jon producing (though this isn’t really a typical ‘Lil Jon sound) and the sample of Otis Redding’s “Hard To Handle.” Both tunes are off his 5th record and major label debut, Prophecy.

Belinda Carlisle
“Do You Feel Like I Feel?” 1991, #73 (6 weeks) (download)

For some reason when I sing this in my head I put it to the tune of the Christmas tune, “Do You Hear What I Hear?” Thank God it has nothing to do with that. Instead, it’s a pretty rockin’ pop song. I do like the tune quite a bit in fact, probably way more than I liked most stuff from the Go-Go’s but it’s missing something to take it to the next level. The chorus has always struck me as not being quite catchy enough and the breakdown near the end isn’t very good but as a whole I think it was one of her best solo tracks.

Mary Chapin Carpenter
“Passionate Kisses” 1993, #57 (11 weeks) (download)
“Shut Up and Kiss Me” 1994, #90 (6 weeks) (download)
“Almost Home” 1999, #85 (7 weeks) (download)

If these were the only songs I knew from Mary Chapin Carpenter I think I’d be shocked to know she was such a successful country singer.

“Passionate Kisses” was the third single from Come On, Come On which sold four million copies in the US. It was a cover a song Lucinda Williams wrote for her self-titled 1988 release and is probably the song that people remember the most from her. It won two grammys.

“Shut Up and Kiss Me” was the first single from her follow up record, Stones in the Road. It also won her a Grammy for Country Female Vocal. It might be me but parts sound very much like “Werewolves in London.”

Her third and final single on the Hot 100 was “Almost Home,” one of the new tracks on her 1999 hits record, Party Doll and other Favorites.

Dina Carroll
“So Close” 1993, #95 (2 weeks) (download)

I don’t hear “So Close” too often but the intro always dupes me into thinking Donna Summer’s “Last Dance” is coming up. Instead, I get simple generic R&B.

Jeff Carson
“Not On Your Love” 1995, #97 (2 weeks) (download)

Boy, here’s a name that has stuck with me over the years. No, I’m just kidding. Other than knowing he’s a country artist from Tulsa, Oklahoma I have no clue who this dude is.

Deana Carter
“Strawberry Wine” 1996, #65 (10 weeks) (download)
“We Danced Anyway” 1997, #72 (9 weeks) (download)
“Did I Shave My Legs For This?” 1997, #85 (6 weeks) (download)
“Absence of the Heart” 1998, #83 (2 weeks) (download)

There must be something country in the water this week. Although I’ve said I wasn’t a country fan back in the ‘90s, even I know some of these tunes. “Strawberry Wine” and “We Danced Anyway” were two of her biggest charting tunes on the country side and “How Do I Get There” was actually a #1 country tune. I don’t actually remember “Did I Shave My Legs For This?” but it’s certainly a title that stands out, right? But it’s really, 1998’s “Absence of the Heart” that most non-country fans like me know. I would have figured it was a cover or that other people covered it later as it’s that familiar to me but I can’t find evidence of that and she co-wrote the song so it’s definitely hers.

Cartouche
“Feel the Groove” 1991, #66 (10 weeks) (download)

Eurodance!!!!

Of all the Eurodance tunes that stuck around over the years, this is one that hasn’t. And the simple reason is because it’s just not that good. The beat isn’t anything special and Myrelle Tholen’s vocals are pretty weak. It probably charted because every Eurodance tune seemed to chart in 1991 but this deserves the fate it got of fading away.

Cause & Effect
“Another Minute” 1992, #75 (6 weeks) (download)
“It’s Over Now (It’s Alright)” 1994, #67 (11 weeks) (download)

Cause & Effect were initially Sean Rowley and Robert Rowe, a duo from California. They released their debut in 1990 on an indie label, then got picked up by Zoo who reconfigured the disc and re-released it in 1992. That record felt a little behind the times in 1992 as it sounded more like late ‘80s Depeche Mode or Camouflage.

In ’92, Sean Rowley had a heart attack during a soundcheck caused by a severe asthma attack, and died. Rowe decided to keep the band going and added their tour drummer Richard Shepherd full time and Keith David Milo to replace Rowley on keyboards.

1994’s follow up record – Trip – was another slab of synth pop with definite Depeche Mode touches as well as a little New Order now and again but also updated their sound to be slightly more in touch with the dance music and synth pop of the day. “It’s Over Now” came from that album and despite only hitting #67 is still an extremely recognizable tune. Neither record was great though and thus the group never really hit it big time.

Peter Cetera
“Feels Like Heaven” 1993, #71 (8 weeks) (download)
“Even A Fool Can See” 1993, #68 (13 weeks) (download)
“(I Wanna Take) Forever Tonight” 1995, #86 (8 weeks) (download)
“You’re the Inspiration” 1997, #77 (10 weeks) (download)

Look, I’m one of those assholes that will fight you to the death if you say “Glory of Love” sucks. And I love Peter Cetera’s voice on all his tunes. But starting with “After All,” his 1989 duet with Cher, there’s very little that I can justify from him.

“Feels Like Heaven” is a decent tune but doesn’t even remotely use the funktastic voice of Chaka Khan well at all. And “Forever Tonight” is a duet with actress Crystal Bernard of all people. I don’t know much about the personal life of Peter Cetera but I hope he was at least tapping that, otherwise it feels like he shot a dart at some pictures and decided he wanted to do a duet with the woman it landed on. And the remake of “You’re the Inspiration” is bullshit compared to the fantastic original version. Az Yet performed the melodies as payback for Cetera joining them for their biggest hit, a cover of Chicago’s “Hard To Say I’m Sorry.”

Changing Faces featuring Jay-Z and R. Kelly
“All of My Days” 1997, #65 (12 weeks) (download)

This song was originally featured in the movie Space Jam but then included on Changing Faces second album, All Day, All Night. Even with verses from Jay-Z and the smooth vocals of R. Kelly it couldn’t save what would end up being their most generic single.

Channel Live
“Mad Izm” 1995, #54 (12 weeks) (download)

This New Jersey rap duo had potential after being discovered by KRS-One. “Mad Izm” featured him and was quite catchy but give it a listen – the thing you notice right away is how much better KRS is than either of the guys in the group. That’s never a good sign when you have to follow it up with tracks that the best rapper isn’t on.

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Bottom Feeders takes a look back at every song that hit the Billboard Hot 100 charts, but only if they didn’t crack the top 40. It’s not meant to be a comprehensive review of each tune or each artist, but rather my view of the music I grew up loving. It’s meant to bring back all the great and really crappy songs that have faded into oblivion over time for one reason or another And, the series is designed to get discussions going about the music. I don’t have expert knowledge of every song posted here but I want to hear from you with your memories of the tunes, comments about a artist or general thoughts.

Section 1: The Ass End

Cake
“Never There” 1998, #78 (17 weeks) (download)

I always liked Cake even though everything they did tended to sound the same after a while. I love “Never There” for the cool Moog sound throughout the song. It was off their third record, Prolonging the Magic.

Calloway
“All the Way” 1990, #63 (7 weeks) (download)

Reggie and Vincent Calloway go down as another one of those fake one hit wonders for their #2 hit “I Wanna Be Rich” but “All the Way” is a fantastic funky tune that was the follow up to their big hit and the only other one that charted. However, their biggest musical contribution was forming Midnight Star in the late ‘70s and putting out one of my favorite tunes of the ‘80s in “No Parking On the Dance Floor.” They also wrote great tunes like Klymaxx’s “Meeting in the Ladies Room” and Levert’s “Cassanova” among many other fantastic R&B and funk tunes.

Tevin Campbell
“Just Ask Me To” 1991, #88 (5 weeks) (download)
“Goodbye” 1992, #85 (12 weeks) (download)
“Strawberry Letter 23” 1992, #53 (9 weeks) (download)
“Alone with You” 1992, #72 (11 weeks) (download)
“Don’t Say Goodbye Girl” 1994, #71 (7 weeks) (download)
“Back to the World” 1996, #47 (9 weeks) (download)
“Another Way” 1999, #100 (2 weeks) (download)

Big fan of Tevin Campbell and it has nothing to do with his Prince association either. Quincy Jones was the one that discovered him but his first break was with the Prince produced “Round and Round” used in Graffiti Bridge. It ended up being the lead track off his debut record, T.E.V.I.N. which happens to be one of the best R&B albums of the decade. The team of Al B. Sure and Kyle West wrote and produced a lot of the record including tracks “Just Ask Me To” and “Goodbye.” Quincy Jones himself produced the cover of “Strawberry Letter 23” and Narada Michael Walden produced much of the rest of the record. Seven singles ended up getting released from it, all the way through the early part of 1993.

Campbell’s Second album, I’m Ready, wasn’t quite as good as the debut but was more diverse. The three top 20 tunes from the album were all written by Babyface, while Prince had a hand in four others including the airplay only, “Shhh.” The only song from that album here is “Don’t Say Goodbye Girl” which I’m sure the label expected to be a major hit having been written by Walden and Burt Bacharach.

Qwest spent a lot of money on the third record, Back to the World, bringing in Puff Daddy to write and produce on a handful of tracks but the result was a stale and uneventful record that didn’t get close to the quality of the previous two.

For his self-titled and final album, Quincy didn’t go all out this time and that actually worked better as the record is pretty damn fine. It didn’t generate any real hits though and his recording career was over. The last thing I heard about him was years ago when he was performing in the Australian version of Hairspray.

Camp Lo
“Luchini aka (This Is It)” 1997, #50 (17 weeks) (download)

Camp Lo consisted of two muslim rappers from the Bronx, Salahadeen Wilds aka Sonny Cheeba and Saladine Wallace aka Geechi Suede. Their debut album – Uptown Saturday Night – is a smooth nod back to the late ‘70s early ‘80s with “Luchini” taking it’s sample from the 1980 Dynasty hit, “Adventures in the Land of Music.” Unfortunately, they didn’t release another album until 2002 and all momentum for the group was gone by then.

Cam’ron
“Horse & Carriage” 1998, #41 (17 weeks) (download)
“Let Me Know” 1999, #99 (2 weeks) (download)

Cam’ron might be a good rapper but really he has a place in rap history mostly because he ended up having beef with what seems like everyone in the game. “Horse & Carriage” and “Hey Ma” (from 2002) might be the only songs that anyone remembers from him. But he also was part of Dipset which launched the careers of Jim Jones and Juelz Santana as well.

His first beef was a big one that went back and forth for years with Jay-Z, then had one with 50 Cent, then both Jones and Santana and then finally one with Kayne West which I don’t think Kanye ever fought back on.

C & C Music Factory/Clivilles & Cole/Freedom Williams
“Just a Touch of Love” 1991, #50 (14 weeks) (download)
“A Deeper Love” 1991, #50 (14 weeks) (download)
“Pride (In the Name of Love)” 1992, #54 (17 weeks) (download)
“Keep It Comin’ (Dance Till You Can’t Dance No More!)” 1992, #83 (6 weeks) (download)
“Voice of Freedom” 1993, #74 (4 weeks) (download)

Robert Clivilles and David Cole performed under so many different monikers that everything associated with the group is going under the C & C Music Factory banner.

Although their debut under this name sold five million copies in the U.S. alone, it would be the only true success they had as C&C Music Factory as the second album – Anything Goes! – barely had any hits.

In between the two, C & C released their dance cover of U2’s “Pride” but it was the B-side “A Deeper Love” that would chart higher in the end.

“Keep It Comin’” was a one off single from the Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie soundtrack.

“Voice of Freedom” is a solo hit from rapper Freedom Williams off his debut disc. He still goes on stage now and again as C & C Music Factory which has made Robert Clivilles relatively angry.

Candlebox
“You” 1994, #78 (16 weeks) (download)

Grunge’s low point.

Candyman
“Melt In Your Mouth” 1990, #69 (11 weeks) (download)
“Nightgown” 1991, #91 (4 weeks) (download)

Candyman’s debut album Ain’t No Shame In My Game generated the two singles you see above and his most well known tune, “Knockin’ Boots.” It’s a fantastic, fun sex filled record and it certainly seemed like he was on his way to a big career. However, as quickly as he rose to fame, he dropped as his follow up – Playtime Is Over – was a failure and he never recaptured the magic after that. However, give me any of the tunes of his debut anyday. Especially “Nightgown” since he samples my boy Prince.

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Bottom Feeders

Section 1: The Ass End

Brooks & Dunn
“Boot Scootin’ Boogie” 1992, #50 (15 weeks) (download)
“Rock My World (Little Country Girl)” 1994, #97 (3 weeks) (download)
“My Maria” 1996, #79 (12 weeks) (download)
“I Can’t Get Over You” 1999, #51 (11 weeks) (download)
“Missing You” 1999, #75 (3 weeks) (download)

Over the course of their career, Brooks & Dunn had 29 songs hit the Hot 100 or bubbling under charts. Only eight of them went top 40. They seem to have just enough crossover pop appeal to them to crack the markets that were all about country music but not enough to push them anywhere close to the top of the charts. However, who needed that? I mean, they are only the biggest duo in the history of country music with 20 #1 hits on that chart. They also won the CMA award for best vocal duo from 1992-2006 with only the year 2000 trophy not on their mantle. The answer to that trivia question – Montgomery Gentry won that year. And since 2006? Five in a row for Sugarland. Not that any of these are bad choices, but I guess there just aren’t that many country duos out there.

If you’re a country fan at all, you should know most of these if not all of them. “Boot Scootin’ Boogie” was their first tune to cross over to the pop chart and one of their most famous tunes. “My Maria” is a cover of the B.W. Stephenson tune from 1973 and barely sounds like country at all. And of course “Missing You” is a cover of the John Waite tune a few years after Tina Turner would remake it. Waite would re-record it later as a country duet with Allison Krauss. “Rock My World” is one of only a few hits to feature Kix Brooks on vocals instead of Ronnie Dunn.

Brotherhood Creed
“Helluva” 1992, #53 (18 weeks) (download)

Here’s another duo but they didn’t have quite the career of the band above. One of what seems like thousands of rap groups who got one shot to hit it big, failed and disappeared, they released just a self-titled record in 1992. “Helluva” used a catchy sample of “Groovin” by the Latin Rascals to climb the charts. The follow up “50/50 Love” didn’t have any impact at all and I can’t find any evidence that Tyrone Ward and Sean McDuffie did anything else in music.

Bobby Brown
“That’s the Way Love Is” 1993, #57 (9 weeks) (download)

The real problem with Bobby Brown was never the music, it was the drugs. The four years between Don’t Be Cruel and Bobby slowed down the massive push he had on the charts. His third album sold well but not nearly as good as his previous record and he didn’t put out another record until 1997. Bobby wasn’t great but did have really good singles like “That’s the Way Love Is” “Get Away” and “Humpin’ Around.” But of course every time I feel a little sorry for Bobby Brown, I think of how he had a hand in destroying the career of Whitney. Then again, she had a hand (and a nose) in that as well. Either way, I’ll always have fond memories of Mr. Brown.

Foxy Brown
“Big Bad Mama” 1997, #53 (15 weeks) (download)
“Hot Spot” 1999, #91 (6 weeks) (download)

Man, I thought Ms. Brown had a bigger career than she really had. From 1996 to 2001 she only had a total of five songs hit the Hot 100 and while “I’ll Be” hit #7, she never got anywhere near the Top 10 or even the Top 20 again.

Although both of these songs are good enough, I have to think that “Big Bad Mama” is a good example why she wasn’t a bigger success. Foxy had this hard ass persona and gangsta raps but the singles featured samples like Carl Carlton’s “She’s A Bad Mama Jama” which is lighthearted and funky instead. “Hot Spot” has a beat which completely feels like a Jay-Z leftover. The reason “I’ll Be” worked so well is because the sample of Rene & Angela’s “I’ll Be Good” was darker and more in tune with the lyrical style.

Foxy does live on in my household though, through my GPS navigation system. My wife and I were bored one day on a long trip and the female voice just wouldn’t stop talking so we named her Foxy Teal. Ms. Brown should be proud.

Horace Brown
“One For the Money” 1996, #62 (12 weeks) (download)
“Things We Do For Love” 1996, #95 (1 week) (download)

Here’s another one of those head scratching moments for me. Before this very moment I’d never even heard the name Horace Brown. So I had to look this cat up before I could tell you about him. Brown apparently released an ode to oral sex, called “Taste Your Love” in 1994. When it didn’t do well and was banned in parts of the country, Uptown records declined to put out his album. He then moved to Motown where they released his debut album which featured both of the songs above. Weirdly enough, with an album on Motown, he got a lot of production work out of Puff Daddy and vocals out of Bad Boy artists like Biggie on “Things We Do For Love,” Faith Evans and the Brown right above him, Foxy. There’s nothing special about either of the songs here, so it’s not surprising that he didn’t last.

Brownstone
“Grapevyne” 1995, #49 (15 weeks) (download)
“I Can’t Tell You Why” 1995, #54 (13 weeks) (download)

I had initially heard of Brownstone simply because they were one of the few bands to have signed on to MJJ Records, Michael Jackson’s label he formed with Epic with hopes of developing new artists. The minor success of these ladies proved to be the biggest success for the label which only lasted until 2001. I’ve always hated this cover of the Eagles, “I Can’t Tell You Why” and the chorus of voices on “Grapevyne” is completely overwhelming, for me making the group well…underwhelming. Despite not releasing an album after 1997, original member Maxee Maxwell says the group is still together.

Peabo Bryson
“Can You Stop the Rain” 1991, #52 (15 weeks) (download)

Always a favorite of mine maybe simply because his name is Peabo or maybe because he’s a Time Life quiet storm favorite, he actually had his biggest hits in the ‘90s. “Beauty and the Beast” hit #9 and “A Whole New World” marked his only #1 hit at a time when he had moved on to soundtrack tunes and guesting on Kenny G records.

But fuck it, “Can You Stop the Rain” is a fantastic song. Far better than “Aladdin’s Theme”. You go Peabo!

The Bucketheads
“The Bomb! (These Sounds Fall Into My Mind)” 1995, #49 (18 weeks) (download)

I’m pretty sure this track is heard on every dance comp. and has been played at at least one sporting event a day since 1995. This is pretty much the masterwork of Kenny “Dope” Gonzalez taking “Street Player” by Chicago to a whole new level. I still find it funny that the words in the sample are really “street sounds swirling through my mind” but it’s so hard to hear that, that “these sounds fall into my mind” ends up what you think you are listening to.

Buffy
“Give Me…A Reason” 1996, #78 (9 weeks) (download)

Knowing full well that Nasty G would know all about Buffy, I headed over to the Isle of Deserted Pop Stars and sure enough there’s all the info anyone needs to know about this lady.

Bush
“Machinehead” 1996, #43 (20 weeks) (download)
“The Chemicals Between Us” 1999, #67 (20 weeks) (download)

Based on what we know about the music in the decade I’m surprised to see any Bush tracks here. I figured they would have all been rock only or airplay songs but then again, I shouldn’t be surprised that the two slowest songs they released (“Comedown” and “Glycerine”) both hit top 40 either.

Kate Bush
“Rubberband Girl” 1993, #88 (6 weeks) (download)

I’ve never had a problem with Kate Bush, but I can’t stand this tune. Her voice on this just gives me the shakes. It was the first single off The Red Shoes which was loaded with guest stars like Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton and Prince.

Busta Rhymes & Zhane
“It’s A Party” 1996, #52 (13 weeks) (download)

I’ve always liked Busta Rhymes as a singles artist but have never really dug any of his records in their entirety (isn’t that the way for most rappers in the ’90s and ’00s though?). He’s had such a successful career due to a his unique rhyming style which I have to admit is catchy as hell but often way too hard to rap along with. And he has two verses in Tribe Called Quest’s “Scenario” which is still the #1 rap song of all time in my book.

“It’s a Party” isn’t nearly one of his best especially around “Who-Haa!! Got You All In Check” and “Dangerous.” But if there’s any doubt who’s performing on the tune, the ladies in Zhane tell you about 600 times.

B*witched
“Rollercoaster” 1999, #67 (8 weeks) (download)

I’m afraid of heights but I totally would have sucked it up and gotten on a rollercoaster with these fine Irish lasses. You know, as long as I never had to hear this song again. But it probably wouldn’t have worked that way.

Tracy Byrd
“Watermelon Crawl” 1994, #81 (5 weeks) (download)
“The Keeper of the Stars” 1995, #68 (9 weeks) (download)
“Walking To Jerusalem” 1995, #92 (3 weeks) (download)
“I’m From the Country” 1998, #63 (18 weeks) (download)

So I popped on “Watermelon Crawl” to refresh my memory a bit and my 3-year old son comes over and tells me it’s his favorite song. And then he hums along to it. Of all the songs to be his favorite! At least it’s better for him than his previous favorite – “Roll Out” by Ludacris.

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